Piracy News

Kuala Lumpur -
Pirate attacks rose worldwide in 2018 due to a surge off West Africa, a maritime watchdog said Wednesday, calling for increased international cooperation to halt the spate of hijackings and kidnappings.

The Canadian telecoms firm Bell has joined with several other entertainment and digital content companies to pressure the CRTC into acting on online piracy. The group is calling for a new federal agency to find and block sites which host illegal content.

Kuala Lumpur -
Pirate attacks worldwide fell to their lowest level in over two decades last year, the International Maritime Bureau said, but more than doubled in the Philippines while African trouble spots remained dangerous.

Manila -
A Vietnamese sailor kidnapped by Islamist militants off the southern Philippines has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said on Monday, following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July.

Hackers are increasingly targeting shipping firms to extract business information, attempt audacious frauds and steal goods from vessels. Members of the security industry warned shipping firms are often unaware of the dangers.

ExtraTorrent, the world's second largest torrent site, has suddenly shut down without official explanation. The company has abruptly taken its servers offline and claims it has deleted all the content they once hosted. It had millions of daily visitors.

The WannaCry ransomware that made its way around the globe last week may have been aided by the use of pirated Windows versions. According to security researchers, the widespread use of illegal copies gave it a foothold in some regions.

Mugadishu -
Somali pirates on Thursday handed over an oil tanker and eight Sri Lankan hostages captured just days ago, the Oceans Beyond Piracy NGO told AFP, bringing to a close the first such attack since 2012."The Puntland maritime police force freed the ship.

Manila -
Pirates have attacked a Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship off the southern Philippines, killing one seaman and abducting at least six others in a region notorious for such attacks, officials said Monday.

Manila -
Pirates have attacked a Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship off the southern Philippines, killing one seaman and abducting at least six others in a region notorious for such attacks, officials said Monday.

Manila -
Pirates have attacked a Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship off the southern Philippines, killing one seaman and abducting at least six others in a region notorious for such attacks, officials said Monday.

Google has reached a new milestone in its quest to remove unlawful websites from the Internet. It recently received its one millionth takedown request as the service continues to grow. Amongst the sites reported include NASA and The White House.

Five traders have been arrested for allegedly modifying Kodi streaming boxes that let you watch subscription TV channels for free. The set-top boxes were sold online for profit before the operation was closed down by copyright theft enforcement agents.

As Venezuela continues on its downward spiral into economic collapse, in the coastal state of Sucre, out-of-work fishermen have turned to piracy, killing dozens who still venture out into the open sea, trying to make a living.